How Staples saves big on energy at Coppell warehouse

Staples’ Coppell Fulfillment Center took President Barack Obama’s challenge to cut energy cost to heart and it’s showing in the company's bottom line.

The online office supply retailer installed high-tech computers that know when to dim the lights on a sunny day. Put up fans with 25-foot diameter wingspans to circulate air near the loading dock. Started using smart box makers that custom build boxes based on the order size. And for short delivery routes, they’re using a 100-percent electric truck.

The retrofit cut energy costs by $65,000 per year, or 1.3 million kilowatt hours per year on the 245,000-square-foot warehouse just north of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, said Bob Valair, director of energy and environmental management for Staples. The improvements cost less than $100,000, making the return on investment less than two years, Valair said.

Similar changes have been made at more than 800 other Staples facilities around the country for an overall savings of 10 percent.

Staples is one of 170 companies nationwide participating in Obama’s Better Building Challenge, said Maria Vargas, a senior program adviser with the U.S. Department of Energy.

“The whole goal is to move forward as a country. Be more competitive as a nation,” said Vargas, who flew in from Washington D.C. “We lose and waste so much money every year on our inefficient use of energy every year.”

Media got a chance to tour the facility Thursday so the company could showcase it. The goal is for companies participating in the program to show other companies how they’re saving money.

“We want to share with them how we can improve it and make it more energy efficient,” Vargas said.

All the overhead lights in the warehouse have motion sensors that compensate for the natural light coming through the skylights while using motion sensors to completely turn off when nobody’s present.

“Before it was either on or off. Now you can drop it by 30 percent or 60 percent and it’s all built into the ballast,” Valair said.

Temperature regulation is controlled by an energy management system that keeps the thermostat consistent and alerts them if there’s a maintenance issue.

For years, Staples only had six types of boxes to ship packages to businesses, homes and corporate clients. That mean many boxes were too big for the order and had to be filled with cushioning pillows.

“We could moving the customer’s order in a larger box only because it needed that width but you had a lot of height, said Dan Pina, operations manager for Staples. “A lot of extra air in the box, which means a lot of tonnage and a lot of waste. That was the old way.”

The new machine custom cuts the boxes for order, That means fewer packing materials, less cardboard waste and more boxes can be packed into trucks, cutting transportation expenses.

Staples also has five 100-percent electric delivery vehicles in North Texas that can travel at 50 mph.

Overall, the goal is to drive shareholder value while also maintaining a comfortable work environment for employees, Valair said.